


The Animals Were Two by Two (So Why Not Me and You?)

by RavenclawPianist



Series: No You Can't Feed the Tigers [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, clarke has a crush, people working with alligators are hot, zoo au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 16:24:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6431650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenclawPianist/pseuds/RavenclawPianist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke works as a tour guide at a zoo. She did not expect to find the zookeeper who works with the alligator so attractive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Animals Were Two by Two (So Why Not Me and You?)

**Author's Note:**

> Heavily inspired by my current life. Alligators make people hotter, I swear.

If anyone had asked Clarke where she planned to be at age 23, she would have told them she’d be a high school art teacher or maybe some kind of doctor. She would not have told them she’d be working in Guest Services at a zoo.

“I hate the term Guest Services,” she complained over Skype to Wells. “Just call me a Tour Guide and be honest about it.”

Wells listened patiently. “I thought you liked your job?”

“I do!” Clarke sighed gustily. “Working at a zoo is basically every little kid’s dream and it’s awesome that I can have lunch next to a lion every day. I just thought I’d be doing something more at this point in my life.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, be in med school? Changing some teenager’s life through showing them the importance of art?” Clarke laughed. “You’re in Hawaii learning about botany and endangered plants. That’s big. I’m showing rich elderly people and girl scout troops around a zoo.”

“And drooling over Hot Alligator Guy,” Wells commented slyly. “And isn’t that exactly where you’re hoping to be with your life?”

“One: there are multiple people who work with the alligator, so you’re going to have to be more specific as to who you’re talking about. Two: I would so much rather be dating Hot Alligator Guy than just be awkwardly staring at him,” Clarke put her head down on her arms. “I am a complete failure.”

“Just talk to him,” Wells replied. “You’ve already befriended most of the other people at work, why not him?”

“I don’t know if he even knows my name,” Clarke complained. “He always calls me Princess, and I’m not sure if that’s because he gives people nicknames or just can’t remember my actual name.”

“Then you should start calling him Alligator Guy when you talk to him,” he said. “See if he starts calling you by your name or if you get into some weird passive-aggressive thing that you could turn into flirting. You’re good at that.”

Clarke groaned and put her head back on her arms.

 

It started during her second week at work. She’d been killing time between tours and had wandered into the “Jungle” section of the zoo. Along with a leopard, tapir, and a variety of monkeys, there was a large enclosure with a pond. A tall man with curly dark hair was inside the enclosure, a bowl and a pair of tongs in his hand. Clarke leaned against the railing and watched as he crouched down, tongs extended over the water. She gasped as a small alligator slowly moved out of the water and towards the man, following the motion of the tongs. The man dropped a small piece of steak on the concrete at the edge of the pond. The alligator snapped the meat up before starting to slide back into the water.

“Uh-uh, not yet,” the man told the alligator. “Come on, girl, next step.” He motioned for the alligator to move forward again. Clarke watched as the alligator followed the commands of the man, each time rewarded with a piece of steak. Finally the man stood up. “Good girl,” he praised the alligator. “We’ll have you ready for the shows again soon.”  
He went out the back of the enclosure, locking the fence behind him before coming up and around the side to the railing where Clarke watched. “Is it safe for you to be in there with her?” she asked.

He grinned. “Safe as being in with any animal. I’ve been working with her since she got here two years ago, so she knows me pretty well. When it’s warm enough we do an animal talk and demonstration with her, so I’m just getting her ready to do that again. She’s never shown any aggression, but even if she did I’d have enough time to get out. Alligators don’t usually move too fast, or at least not until it’s hot out and they’ve warmed up,” he corrected himself with another grin.

“Oh,” Clarke said, unable to find anything more interesting to say. She found herself focusing on the freckles sprinkled liberally over his cheeks. All she could think of was how her dad had told her as a child that freckles were marks of where angels had kissed a person. The angels must have loved this guy. She glanced down at his nametag. /Bellamy-Zookeeper/.

“Yeah, but she’s a good girl, so I’m not worried,” he continued. “She’s pretty good about her training, so this is just a refresher for her before the real shows start again.” 

Clarke tried to bring herself back to their conversation. “And when are the shows? Maybe I can get a tour here in time.”

“Tuesdays and Saturdays at two o’clock,” he replied, vaulting himself over the railing and landing gracefully on the path beside her. “Starting April second.”

“Right,” Clarke said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

He flashed her another bright grin before heading off towards the zookeeper kitchen. "Have a good day, Princess!" 

“Damn it,” Clarke muttered to herself, going in the opposite direction towards the admission office where she was scheduled to meet her next tour.

 

She saw Bellamy occasionally over the next few weeks, brief glimpses as he went about his zookeeper duties. At least once a week she’d see him over by the alligator enclosure, either working with the alligator or cleaning her pond. Sometimes she’d overhear him talking as she walked past the enclosure. “How’s my baby girl?” he murmured to the alligator. “You’re looking good today, how are you feeling? Getting warmer?”

“I should not be jealous of an alligator!” Clarke complained to Raven, one of the zookeepers she’d befriended. 

Raven shrugged. “Bellamy talks to the animals he works with like they’re his children. Trust me, you don’t want to hear how he talks if he’s interested in you.”

“What do you mean?”

She smirked. “I mean if you’re attracted to him now, you’d be insane over him after that. The man knows how to use his words.”

Clarke frowned. “Are the two of you…”

“Oh god no,” Raven laughed. “We hooked up one time, but he is much more of a relationship person than I am. We are much better as friends. But if you’re interested, you should go for it.”

“Um, I’m not really good at getting together with people,” Clarke admitted, tugging on the sleeve of her jacket. “I can do the flirting, but only after I get some kind of signal the other person is interested because otherwise I feel like a jerk. And even after that I still have trouble moving from flirting into actual dates. I can do hook-ups really well?”

“God, how are you as hot as you are and still a total mess?” Raven demanded. 

Clarke couldn’t help asking herself the same thing.

 

“So there’s a party this weekend,” Raven told Clarke over lunch. “Monty’s birthday is next week, and we’re all going bowling. Everyone will be there, which means you can try to flirt with Bellamy.”

Clarke frowned. “I thought we established the flirting won’t be the problem?”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Just show up at the bowling alley at eight.”

 

“Strike! Take that Jasper!” Raven yelled, laughing as she threw herself down into the seat next to Clarke. “So, how is your plan to stare at Bellamy until he decides to make out with you working?”

“Shut up,” Clarke replied. “I’m trying to decide how to start a conversation.”

“Just ask him about reptiles,” Raven replied. “Or wolves. He fucking loves wolves.”

Clarke squinted at Raven. “How many beers have you had?”

“Two,” Raven replied innocently. “I’m keeping myself sober so I can destroy Jasper and Miller at bowling. Go talk to Bellamy.”

Clarke left Raven to call insults at Jasper as he tried to get a spare and went over to stand by Bellamy and Lincoln, other of the zookeepers. Lincoln smiled at her as she joined them. “Hey Clarke, you know Bellamy?”

“We’ve met,” Bellamy smiled at her. “It’s weird to see you without a flock of people following you around.”

“They’re in the parking lot,” Clarke replied, straight-faced. “I get a fifteen minute break before I have to show them the back of the bowling alley.”

Bellamy and Lincoln laughed. “Lincoln, you’re up!” Jasper yelled from their lane. Lincoln set down his beer bottle and went to bowl. 

“Fifteen minutes isn’t long for a break,” Bellamy commented. “You’ll have to make that time count.”

Clarke shrugged. “If you do it right, fifteen minutes is all it takes.”

He smirked. “Fifteen minutes might be enough to do it right, but not enough to make it good,” he took a sip of his beer. “Why do I get the feeling we’re not talking about breaks?”

She bit back a smile. “I was talking about a break. You’re the one who took it somewhere else.”

He laughed. “Fair enough. So how are you liking working at the zoo?”

“It’s fun,” she replied. “And the coworkers aren’t so bad.”

“Wait until Octavia bribes the DJ to play cha-cha slide,” Bellamy warned. “You’ll rethink that statement.”

“So I should definitely leave before then,” Clarke laughed. “Know any good places around here?”

He looked at her and smiled slowly. “I know a few,” he set his bottle down on the counter. “You want to get out of here now? I could show you around the city. You’re new here right?”

“New enough,” she replied. “You know a quiet place with good music?”

He grinned, offering her his hand. “I know three within ten minutes of here alone.”

 

She leaned against the railing of the alligator enclosure, watching as Bellamy motioned the alligator closer. “I’ve been working with her for over two years now, so she knows what I expect of her,” he explained to the crowd watching. “We train her to move in certain ways so that if she ever gets sick or injured, we can get her to move so the vet can see what’s wrong without having to get in the enclosure with her or physically touch her. It’s easier for everyone that way.” Bellamy dropped the last piece of chicken and stood up. “Thank you all for coming out today! If you’re interested in making a donation to Henrietta or any of our other animals, please stop by the gift shop. Enjoy the rest of your visit!”

Clarke clapped along with the guests as he exited the enclosure, staying by the railing as the guests wandered off on to see other animals. Bellamy grinned as he vaulted over the railing to land beside her. “I thought last time you said her name was Artemis?”

“I change her name every time,” he admitted. “She doesn’t have an actual name, but people respond better to named animals.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Clarke said. 

He shrugged. “Yeah, but you agreed to another date with me, so you should know what you’re getting into.” Bellamy leaned in quickly and brushed a light kiss to her lips before pulling away again. “See you tonight!”

“We’re at work!” She called after him, unable to keep the smile from her face. 

He turned around and grinned as he walked backwards. “Yeah, but you think I’m hot when I work with the alligator. Couldn’t let that moment pass.”

Clarke groaned. She would kill Raven for telling him about that.

 

 

For anyone interested, here’s the breakdown of what jobs I see everyone as having (and yes I might write more in this AU, which is why I have more characters than just those mentioned in the fic):

Bellamy- zookeeper, works with reptiles and big mammals (large cats, bears, wolves)  
Raven- zookeeper, works with big mammals and birds  
Miller- zookeeper, works with big mammals and hoofstock (llamas, goats, sheep, alpacas, deer)  
Monty- gift shop manager  
Jasper- zookeeper, works with primates and small mammals (foxes, binturongs, porqupines, etc)  
Lincoln- zookeeper, works with birds and hoofstock  
Octavia- zookeeper, works with small mammals and reptiles  
Harper- zookeeper, works with primates and miscellaneous animals (kangaroos, zebras, turkeys, tapirs)  
Monroe- zookeeper, works with miscellaneous animals and hoofstock  
Kane- animal curator  
Maya- gift shop/ admissions


End file.
